I don't agree that player comparisons should be strictly between players with the same amount of experience. There was talk last summer of the Rockets considering a trade for Nash that would include Brooks, after all. And there are a number of people here, good posters, who feel Brooks is presently the better scorer. But I take it your answer to the thread question is that Nash is currently the better scorer (while Brooks is superior to Nash in his third year).
So why didn't you create a thread with a topic more directly related to "what Brooks does well as a scorer compared to Nash and where they feel he can improve?" That would come off to me as more of an earnest approach to a good discussion than the way you chose to format it. Honestly, I don't even see the point in specifically bringing Nash into the discussion.
I think Nash is the better player TODAY, he is the best PG I have ever seen, better than Stockton, and is an amazing passer, shooter, player, just incredible... However, being that he is 35 years old, I would take Brooks over him every day of the week, why....well.....because.... People that complain about Brooks are missing out on a great ride....... Case CLOSED !! DD™
Brooks' number in the paint or around the rim is bad is because: 1. He gets blocked more often than not trying to draw a foul or an And 1 (i.e. The Tracy McGrady Play) 2. He stops his dribble once he gets in the paint. This, of course, is counterproductive when the defense swarms around him and he has no where to go because he picked up his dribble 3. He doesn't make the best of decisions while inside the paint or near the basket. There are a couple "pet plays" of his that I can point out: -The Degree of Difficulty Layup. Blame this on his lack of height or because he has to shoot over 7 footers but Brooks' layups around the bucket are hardly ever simple or easy. Sometimes I wonder how he gets enough english on the ball to make it go in -The Mid-Air Indecision. This hasn't been as prominent versus last year but Brooks will penetrate, jump, and find himself to be in a predicament where he doesn't know what to do next. If he shoots, he'll get blocked. If he tries to pass the ball out, it will most likely be a TO. Despite these shortcomings, I still believe that Brooks is a better scorer than Nash in terms of isolation or 1-on-1. You cite Reggie Miller as an example and it's a fitting one. Miller can put points up in bunches but is he a shooter first scorer second, or vice versa? I think it's to the point where it might be nitpicking on what we can label Reggie (I'd say he's a shooter) but the part where the offensive system helps Miller get open shots is something I agree on. Nash, like I said earlier, does a beautiful job inside the paint. He can adjust on the fly (pass, fadeaway jumper, throw an alley, etc) and having that accurate shot from 13 feet is a boon. However, I doubt Nash would be able to score as efficiently if he didn't have the personnel he has around him in Phoenix. If he didn't have the P&R's with Amare but rather just, say, a Josh Boone setting picks, I'm sure Nash wouldn't be able to score as efficiently. On the other side, Brooks would do just as well, IMO, with picks from Boone as he's done with picks from Hayes.
If you're comparing 3rd yr only.....Brooks is taking about twice the number of shots Nash was. Had Nash attempted that many shots, with Dirk and Finley on the team...his backside would have been firmly planted on the bench. Besides....nobody....reasonably....assesses Nash's skill at Yr3. (Except that guy here who keeps getting quoted by DD ). If Nash's Yr 3 numbers are the indicator of what it takes to have a career such as his....there'd be a lot more very very good PG's in the league. So.....it's possible Brooks could become better then Nash. But not really reasonable to say that now. Also....Nash is more clutch
Apples and Oranges. Parker can't shoot the ball behind the 3 point arc consistently while Brooks doesn't have the efficiency Parker has around the rim.
I'm not just saying nash is benefiting from the suns system, AKA "running and gunning", but that he's a better scorer when he's able to interact with his teammates, so technically that's possible under any system. In other words, nash is a better scorer if he's playing with others, which i guess is always the case in the NBA, but i took your question as who's better as a scorer based on their own individual talent, not their own talents AND how they use those talents with their teammates. It's like asking who's a better dunker, you can take that as in-game or you can take it as if they were in an empty gym. The results can often be different because of how the surroundings (team play) affect them. Budinger has shown me more as a dunker in games than James White ever did, but that's due to his ability to play a team game and stay on the court, so he can have those dunk opportunities, but is he really a better dunker than White? White would probably blow him out the gym in a dunk contest. So nash is better within team play, not individually. I think maybe the question wasn't as specific as you wanted to ask? As for Reggie, i'd consider him a great scorer in the NBA based on memorable performances, but if being compared to someone else, like ray allen, i'd pick allen as a better scorer. I think most would go with reggie because his points were more hollywood and timely, but Allen scored consistently better against NBA comp, and on different teams/systems, than Reggie ever did.
Well, now that I've excessively interrogated durvasa for his thought process behind this thread, I'll offer my thoughts about what Brooks needs to do to become a better scorer. A. He needs to continue improving his shot selection. Pretty basic. He just needs to better recognize when not to force up bad and difficult shots, especially in traffic. B. He needs to find a way to improve his finishing around the basket, whether that is by using change of speed and deception more effectively to get easier looks or by adding some muscle so that he can finish better through contact or by simply getting mentally tougher and looking to attack more aggressively with bodies in the paint. Unlike Lowry, Brooks often tries to use finesse, speed and skill to avoid contact. Even when he doesn't get touched, I think his fear of contact at times leads to him missing some easy shot that he is more than capable of making absent that hesitation. He has had a few isolated plays this season where he's gone up strong and looked for contact but he could stand to improve much more in this area. C. He needs to continue looking for his mid-range game, starting with improving his use of the pick on pick-and-rolls. He has the potential to get a lot of better looks off picks from the top of the key but he needs to learn how to read the play better along with, once again, using more change of speed and deception to gain an extra step. I don't know if he can accomplish any of these things but I think those would be some areas he can try to improve upon.
Are you telling me that "Who's the better scorer?" does not, on its own, invite discussion on what Brooks does well/poorly compared to Nash? Its not like I stipulated that only acceptable answers are : "Nash" or "Brooks". Answer the poll as you like, but a more detailed answer which delves into Brooks' strengths/weaknesses as a scorer is what I'm interested in. A number of posters did just that. I assumed that goes without saying. My apologies that you mistook this as a joke thread, rather than a serious one.
and thinking as a defender...if i'm guarding nash i'm staying a certain distance away from him at all time because i'd fear that he would make great pass that would lead to a good scorer. The fear is greater with him than the average player because he's a great passer AND has good finishers around him, which means that road almost always will lead to a basket. That gives Nash almost a fixed distance/space to work with most of the time to get his shots off or penetration, which makes him a more efficient scorer in team play and therefore a better scorer if he gets enough attempts. But if im playing Nash one on one then i dont care if he's the best passer in the universe because there's no one to pass to, therefore i don't give him that distance, therefore he doesnt have the fixed space to get shots off or drive, so therefore he'll be less efficient as a scorer.
This shows AB's potential, the sky is the limit for him. I have a feeling that he will become a super star in a few years.
i think his passing is above all that. If he's a threat to pass defenders automatically give him some more space when he drives. That's the difference between being blocked or covered. His moves are solid, but defenders always play him for the score, not the pass. The possible outcome of a brooks drive/move is severely limited when he's just a scorer, so there's less outcomes for defenders to plan around and think about.
Who was the great pick and roll player he was playing with when Stoudemire missed the full season? Nash was an MVP that year as well, and his scoring/efficiency went up. Last year, the Suns played differently with Shaq in the middle, and not as many floor spacers. This clearly impact Nash as a scorer, though he was still pretty good. What kind of scorer do you think Brooks would be if he played in Phoenix instead of Houston?
